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A 14-year-old girl went blind in her right eye when fireworks exploded in her eye at a Fourth of July celebration two years ago. She joined doctors and officials at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles to urge caution to the public this holiday. Annette Arreola reports from Hollywood for NBC4's News at Noon on Wednesday, July 3, 2013. (Published Friday, Jul 5, 2013)

Updated at 2:12 PM PST on Wednesday, Jul 3, 2013

A teenager who lost sight in her right eye after a fireworks explosion shared her painful experience Wednesday in an effort to encourage celebrators to be cautious this Fourth of July holiday.

The girl, Erika Rodriguez-Loza, 14, was permanently blinded after fireworks exploded in her right eye at an Independence Day barbecue in 2011.

She along with her mother and doctors spoke at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles on Wednesday to encourage Fourth of July celebrators to take extra precautions.

“Keep kids well away if you’re going to do a show,” said Dr. Jeffrey Upperman of Children’s Hospital LA. “Only adults should be around where they’re going to like these.”

The most frequent fireworks injuries are burns in the face, hands and eyes caused by sparklers that are more than 100 degrees, Upperman said.

Children are often seen in the emergency room for fireworks-related injuries such as damage to the eyes from bottle rockets, third-degree burns from sparklers, and trauma -- usually on the hands -- from explosive fireworks, according to a release from the Children’s Hospital LA.